Tag Archives: crossfit london

Just before I let you in on my met-con joy for today I just wanted to point out to you all that I have added a search box and Facebook Like. Thanks Steven for helping me out.

All that means is if you should like to search for words or topics you now have that option. If you like what you read you can click Like. (I would really love it if you did)Now on to the good bits.

I totally wasn’t ready for today. I was still sleepy and rushing now to be late, which always makes me flustered.

Rocking up with Snoop in tow, I could we Chris in his shorts. That could only mean one thing, a met con was on the board.

It’s not that I don’t like them, I fact I love that side to Cossfit. It’s just that since being back to training and spending time focused on repair and recovery I feel just like I did when I first started Crossfit. A bag of nerves till I start to lift the bar. Don’t ask me where the nerves come from, it’s probably performance anxiety.

Training is now going to have a slightly difference focus anyway.

Now I am as close to back to normal as I could have hoped for at this stage I am going to be favoring a few more met cons into my training.

With met cons for the time being I just want to be able to finish them with good form and technique rather then competing against the entire gym/class as is the usual way to tackle them.

Before the year is out I want to be doing multiple pull ups and ring dips with no band support and this is only going to happen if I chip away at it.

Right so I have babbled and make my pull up promise so what did I do today…………………..

Snatch Balance as a warm up!!! Awesome my favourite move.

I can quite proudly say I did more weight then Chris!!!

Ok so Chris is an animal where strength is concerned but when it comes down to a Snatch balance it’s all about how you change speed and direction to get under the bar. Unsure what the Snatch balance is??

We did 3 sets of 3 reps reaching 40Kg.

Coach Bergnener had it right in the video clip above when he said it gives confidence. Knowing I can get 40Kg in a Snatch balance will set me up from a full snatch.

Something Chris is a little better at was the next move a Sumo-deadlift.

On one side I am really proud to have clawed it back but on the other side I wish it hadn’t taken so long!!

Before I fell pregnant I had got my first few pull ups ever without a band. It had taken me over a year to get there working my way through the different band supports but eventually I got there.

When I came back after my rest during my first trimester, bang my pull up was gone and as my weight increased and the bump got bigger I gave up trying to win it back and just focused on having a healthy pregnancy.

That was all fair and well but as I watched my fellow Crossfitting females swinging from the bars I was determined to get it back as soon as I could.

With my return to training scarpered by the c-section I had a long 6 month wait till I was ready to lift some weights again.

And I am pretty glad I did allow myself to recover properly, though I am back in the swing of things I still don’t have the same feeling or sensation in the area and that’s a good 9 months after the fact. If the surface is still back to normal then going deeper is probably still mending too.

Any how back to my pull ups……..

My path to pull up heaven begun at home. As soon as I started training with Chris my pull up bar went back up!

Every opportunity I had I would jump on the bar and pull up as best I could. I did jumping pull ups negative pull ups and banded pull ups.

Every time I was in gym I would have a go at some pull ups till eventually while in Brisbane, Australia I gave it a go with no band and with a bit of a struggle I go there.

Whoop Whoop.

Back in the UK I proudly showed Chris my 1 pull up. Great he said now lets get a few more!!

So I will continue with my pull up plan and keep on at it till I am swinging like the best.

In the run up to my Aussie adventure I had got use to the eye brow raised expressions from people, as I told them my ambitious plans.

A few people said I was crazy but I was sure things would be fine…………………..

…..and all in all they were but…………

And there is always a but.

I am not so sure I would be so adventurous if and when I have another baby.

The travelling was fine, Sebastian was as I have said in a previous post, an angel. What was hard for him was the change in time zones.

Perth is a good 7-8 hours ahead of UK time, which doesn’t sound that bad but after 30 odd hours of travelling, stuck on planes, it is hard to figure out what time of the day it is. Your body is so confused.com and despite being knackered at 2am when we finally arrived at the hotel we couldn’t sleep.

I have done long haul before but nothing quite like this and with a baby to boot.

Normally you would get over jet lag in a day or two no problem, sleeping when you want and so on but with a baby on board who doesn’t understand the concept of jet lag you can’t even begin to get over it till they have!!!

If I thought I was tired when Seb was a new born this took it to new heights!!!

Every night like clockwork Sebastian rose at 2am full of beans with a massive grin on his face ready to play!!

This continued for 5 or was it 6 days I can’t remember now I was so jaded at the time.

By the end of the first week we were all on Aussie time only to face another plane ride to Brisbane.

For those that are not aware of the hugeness of Australia, Brisbane is 3 hours ahead of Perth and 5 hours away by plane!

As I boarded the plane I preyed the 3 hours wouldn’t have too much of an impact.

In fact it wasn’t that bad, it just made my usually happy little chappie a bit grumpy for a day or two.

It was the return journey to London that filled me with dread!!

At least this time I wasn’t going into it blind I knew what to expect from Sebastian, though for some reason it was different this time. it didn’t really hit him till maybe 2 days later when all of a sudden my little man stopped eating solids, became really clingy and slept lots.

Worried I took him to the doctors. After a quick check up the doctor said Sebastian was really run down from all the travelling we had been doing, so much so that he had a touch of baby thrush in his mouth, something which is common in babies who are feeling under the weather or run down.

My poor little man.

So the moral of this story is……………….unless you really need to make a journey like this then it’s probably best to wait a while!!

Ok now on to Brisbane……………..

Brisbane is a great city, quite a lot like London, with some landmarks you might as well think they stole from us.

The mix of old and new buildings reminded me so much of London, they even have a Southbank, which is just like our Southbank!!

And the busyness!!! Brisbane is a lot bigger then Perth and like London is full of people dashing about, I even spotted over crowed buses.

For my Crossfit experience in Brisbane, Richard one of the Crossfit London members gave me the details of Resolve. The gym he started off in.

The gym was in a really cool area of the city called Fortitude Valley (I love the name of the place) and again the space was huge.

The class was due to start at 9.30am so I took a quick look at the workout written on the board.

A variation of Cindy.

20 minutes AMRAP

5 Pull ups

5 Ring dips

15 Squats

AMRAP for 20 minutes is always a bit like oh no 20 minutes but once you are in your flow the time starts to fly. It’s probably those last 2 minutes that feel like the longest.

I feel like I held my own though and managed a solid 12 rounds. Yeah I used bands but I used red ones, which for those who don’t know is a pretty light support.

My first few rounds, I am proud to say I included 2 strict pull ups each, which marks my return to a former glory. Whoop Whoop!!

I really enjoyed Brisbane it’s an awesome city, a home away from home.

Thanks to the Resolve team for making me so welcome, they are well worth the visit if your in the Valley.

To see how the boys and girls got on with this at Crossfit London this Monday just click.

Firstly I need to get off my chest my awesome Pb from Tuesday’s training sess with Chris.

Rocking up am on Tuesday for the first session back from holiday is always a bit more of a slog then the rest, but once you get started the ball is rolling so to speak and the motivation levels soar again.

Before I left for Oz the focus was recovery and building strength. I feel that I am 90% of the way to recovery and now can focus more of my attention to the big weights again so I was delighted when Chris told me the plan was 1RM Overhead squat.

Anyone who knows me will remember that Overhead squatting is one of my favorite moves.

Pre-baby my PB stood at 50Kg give or take a kilo to two.

I wanted to reach that…at least.

……………………….An overhead squat requires a good deal of flexibility in the shoulders, it is not just about sheer strength, which is probably why I enjoy the move so much.

I am lucky with my shoulders that I can have rather narrow grip on the bar, for most a grip almost if not the entire width of the bar is necessary.

Everything else with the squat is the same.

Your stance

Lumbar engagement

Big chest

Hips back and down

Only difference is that with the weight overhead it will show up any imbalances and areas to work on with such a glaring spot light that it is often a move which is pushed to the back of the queue.

A back squat and front squat can mask some of these issues and allow you to “get away with it “.

Far better to deal with the issues and get good at all the squats!

…………..Glad to be back to overheads and after a warm up set I was at 40Kg and 3 reps. Easy!

I whacked on another 10Kg to 50Kg and got myself in position.

A challenge but a convincing squat so I whacked another 5Kg on.

Looking at Chris I asked him to help me with the bar to the overhead position as a bit of panic set in at the thought of my arms crumbling under the extra 5kg.

With one look from Chris I knew I wasn’t going to get any help so pulling myself together I got under the bar.

Steadying myself, and with a few words of encouragement from Chris I was at the bottom of the squat driving out.

Well Thursday’s session ended up being 100 Kettlebell swings in the park as there was an olympic lifting course being held in the gym, which meant no space for us.

Never-mind as the weather was being unusually summery we decided to smash out the swings and dash to a cafe for a tea and a catch up.

Conversation between me and Chris is usually quite light but as we sat there with the sun beating down on us I began to speak about my boredom.

That might sound bad let me re-phrase that…………my need for something other then the role of Mummy and Wife!

I have of course got my Monday nights back on but that is only 3 hours! I need something more!!!!

Only trouble was as Chris tried to come up with a plan of action the flood of excuses that fell from my mouth was relentless.

I could hear myself and hating it as I said it but I couldn’t stop myself.

To me in the last 9 months being Mum and Wife has been an all consuming job. I physically couldn’t bring myself to do any of Chris’s suggestions to work on new clients and not let another part of my life suffer, i.e baby or hubby.

……………until and I don’t know why I didn’t think of this myself.

Chris said why don’t you do a pregnancy workshop?

This unlike some of the usual paths you take to building new clients was something I could work on a little bit at a time and develop with the help of some of my new mum friends I have made over the last 9 months.

So this is my new project.

I don’t know how it will look or what the end product will sound like but it’s a start.

What I would like though from you is anyone who has had or having a baby to ask themselves if there was some information out there advising and helping you understand exactly how exercise will makes pregnant life an dpost pregnant life 100 times easier. What exercises will help labour and so on. Tell me what you think and what you would like to know about.

You can send me and email or comment below. -sally@crossfitlondonuk.com

The Pelvic Floor is a sling of muscles, which pass from the pubic bones to the coccyx. A little bit like a hammock.

It supports abdominal organs and the growing baby. It is also involved with continence of urine and faeces. It has the ability to stretch to allow birth to happen.

The muscles are made up of both different muscle fibre types.

Slow Twitch – These fibres are slow to fatigue. They have the ability to contract over a long period though not a very strong contraction.

Fast Twitch – These fibres have the ability to produce immediate strong contractions.

To put it simply when we are busting for the toilet it’s our slow twitch pelvic floor that works. When we laugh, cough or exercise it’s our fast twitch pelvic floor muscles that are working.

All that said it’s easy to see why it is so important to maintain a healthy pelvic floor.

You probably don’t realise but every time you squat you are using your pelvic floor as it tightens and stretches through the range of movement. A squat is a very natural way of using the pelvic floor, and in my opinion my preferred method of working it.

A great way to work it alongside Kegals is to hover above the toilet sit with good squat form and slowly allow yourself to wee. Try stopping mid flow and then starting up again.

Kegals will isolate the muscle, which I don’t feel is the best or exclusive way it should be train.

I believe importance should be placed on the whole body approach thus addressing your posture and core strength.

“Ok but Sal I am pregnant I can’t do core exercises like I use to”

Imagine you have a clock face on your tummy and hips.

12 is your belly button while 6 is your pubic bone. 3 and 9 are either side of your hips.

Work on bringing 12 and 6 together and releasing. Next 3 and 9, draw together and release.

Mix in slow and fast pase and bingo your working on your core.

Try this for a few minutes each day alongside some toilet squats.

Remember past 37 weeks your squats don’t want to be super deep. This can bring on signs of early labour.